Bradypodion ventrale
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey (from a photograph by Frank Glaw, Jörn Köhler, Ted M. Townsend & Miguel Vences) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Bradypodion ventrale, the southern dwarf chameleon, occurs in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is also known as the eastern Cape dwarf chameleon. It is a relatively large species of dwarf chameleon, reaching lengths of 14 cm (5.5 in). It has a very prominent casque on the back of its head and a long, beard-like throat crest. It lives in dense thickets and shrub, and is usually very difficult to spot because of its colouring. It adapts very well to living in suburban gardens, but domestic cats – being introduced predators – will usually kill all chameleons in the immediate area. Consequently, one should not bring chameleons into a garden which is frequented by cats. It gives birth to litters of between 10 and 20 babies in the summer.
Tolley, K. and Burger, M. 2007. Chameleons of Southern Africa. ISBN 978-1-77007-375-3. Search for Distribution of Bradypodion ventrale Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Cape Dwarf Chameleon sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 35th most-seen of the 41 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Cape Dwarf Chameleon in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months. That is one of Table Mountain National Park's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against 15 mm in February.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Cape Dwarf Chameleon sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Eastern Cape Dwarf Chameleon sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Addo Elephant National Park (South Africa, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Cape Dwarf Chameleon is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Table Mountain National Park (24 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
